{"id":1771,"date":"2023-11-21T12:01:29","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T12:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/?p=1771"},"modified":"2024-01-07T21:34:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T21:34:38","slug":"ling-mas-severance-the-construction-of-identity-the-value-of-fiction%ef%bf%bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/2023\/11\/21\/ling-mas-severance-the-construction-of-identity-the-value-of-fiction%ef%bf%bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Ling Ma&#8217;s &#8216;Severance&#8217;: The Construction of Identity &amp; The Value of Fiction\ufffc"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;One zombie can be easily killed, but a hundred zombies is another issue [&#8230;] This narrative, then, is not about any individual entity, per se, but about an abstract force: the force of the mob, of mob mentality&#8221;. <\/p><cite>ma, 29<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-gif aligncenter\">\n\t\t<figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-gif-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:49%\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<iframe src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/GQbNswkIXzlvi\" title=\"zombie\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>Ideas of survival and the collective are foregrounded; both are central to Ma\u2019s post-apocalyptic novel&nbsp;<em>Severance<\/em>(2018). Whilst hinting at notions of survival, Ma\u2019s repetition of \u201cmob\u201d emphasises an element of susceptibility alike a herd mindset, whilst also harking towards brutal competitiveness (29). As Monbiot establishes in&nbsp;<em>How Did We Get Into This Mess?<\/em>, <strong>\u201ccompetition and individualism, in other words \u2013 is the religion of our time\u201d <\/strong>(10). Aided by Western capitalist culture, individualism \u2013 exacerbated by self-gratification and a strand of self-serving personal autonomy \u2013 have become the supreme ethos.&nbsp;<em>Severance<\/em>&nbsp;offers an at times&nbsp;morbid reflection of this illusionary notion of individualism. Instead, Ma suggests that the waring notion of the \u2018individual\u2019, is not actually \u2018individual\u2019 at all \u2013 and is alternatively, a composition of the collective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-gif alignright\">\n\t\t<figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-gif-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:53%\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<iframe src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/26wkRxKJ9yUZzlorK\" title=\"office\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>Shen Fever, an apocalyptic virus and seminal motif within the text, prospers under fundamentals of late capitalism: oblivion and repetition. Ma\u2019s use of repetitive, forceful sentences, alike <strong>\u201cI got up. I went to work in the morning. I went home in the evening\u201d<\/strong> (150). As such, suggesting that for Candance to follow a routine, other than this, would be mindless.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially, Jonathan, operates as a polarity to Candace the office drone &#8211;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cJonathan didn\u2019t work in the nine-to-five sense. He did odd freelance gigs here and there so that he could spend most of his time writing [\u2026] Obviously, Jonathan kind of despised what I did. Maybe I did too\u201d.<\/p><cite>Ma, 10-12<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst&nbsp;Jonathan refuses&nbsp;to be a cog within the system, he subsequently suffers, alike Candace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/11\/9781432133115.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1779\" width=\"287\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/11\/9781432133115.jpg 750w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/11\/9781432133115-226x300.jpg 226w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For Candace, working at Spectra, as a <strong>\u201cSenior Product Coordinator of the Bibles division\u201d<\/strong>, offers safety; yet safety is in exchange of self-fulfilment (Ma, 22). As Ma notes <strong>\u201cthe Bible embodies the purest form of product packaging, the same content repackaged a million times over, in new combinations ad infinitum\u201d<\/strong> (23). Spectra have tapped into a nuanced market, one which is extraneously hyper-specific. Ma furthers the notion of hyper-individualism. Returning to Monbiot\u2019s suggestions; capitalism enacts competition and individualism, whilst situating citizens as consumers (10). Individuality hinges on a desire to become a trailblazer; consumers seek out extremely niche products, alike those who purchase the Bible\u2019s produced by Spectra. Ma writes that the Bible is <strong>\u201crepackaged a million times\u201d<\/strong>; the desire to have something unique is not truly satisfied (23). Ma furthers the waring notion of \u2018individualism\u2019, one which is repackaged and distributed to the masses.&nbsp;Individuals are situated within the cycle of consumption, paralleling the guise of which individuals- turned-meek zombies are lured under.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the unyielding nature of consumerism, individuals are&nbsp;governed by circumstance, i.e., capitalism, and its fixation on draining labour. Fisher&nbsp;writes in&nbsp;<em>Capitalist Realism<\/em>&nbsp;(2008),&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright has-text-align-center\"><blockquote><p>\u201cCapital is an abstract parasite, an insatiable vampire and zombie make; but the living flesh it converts into dead labour is ours, and the zombies it makes are us\u201d. <\/p><cite>15<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ma\u2019s narrative raises the question, is it possible to \u2018sever\u2019 ties and exist outside the ant farm, or rather, the zombie farm?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-gif aligncenter\">\n\t\t<figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-gif-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:60%\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<iframe src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/q38Hdn6lY5YFG\" title=\"zombie\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>Whilst operating within the \u2018ant farm\u2019 in terms of labour and consumer culture, Candance is immune from becoming a zombie. She is positioned as an outsider. Bob questions Candace\u2019s place within the group, stating <strong>\u201cDo you think we\u2019re the right fit for you?\u201d <\/strong>(Ma, 32). Here, Ma situates Candace\u2019s position within the band of survivors as something unstable, in an already precarious environment. In doing so, Ma harks towards ideas surrounding identity and migration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-center\"><blockquote><p>\u201cShen Fever being a disease of remembering, the fevered are trapped indefinitely in their memories\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p><cite>Ma, 160<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/11\/images.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1776\" width=\"275\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/11\/images.jpeg 627w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/11\/images-300x234.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/><figcaption>Pictured: Ling Ma. <em>Newcity Lit<\/em>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Shen Fever is triggered by nostalgia \u2013 feelings of belonging are dangerous. Alike Ma, Candace immigrated to the US from China at a young age. Both of Candace\u2019s parents have died, exacerbating her already detached relationship with China. Yet, Candace\u2019s relationship with New York is also fraught. Ma writes <strong>\u201cNew York has a way of forgetting you\u201d<\/strong> (151). Candace\u2019s parted relationship with New York is further reflected in the name of her blog, <strong>\u201c<em>NY Ghost<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> (14). Candance is positioned as an outsider and an observer. As such, reflecting the \u2018othering\u2019 of immigrants. As Powell notes in \u2018Us vs them\u2019, othering <strong>\u201cis largely driven by politicians and the media, as opposed to personal contact. Overwhelmingly, people don\u2019t \u2018know\u2019 those that they are Othering\u201d<\/strong> (n.p). The harmful sentiment which renders certain identities, i.e., East Asian \/ Asian Americans, as non-viable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/11\/81FIfMmYJ3L._AC_UF8941000_QL80_.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1774\" width=\"255\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/11\/81FIfMmYJ3L._AC_UF8941000_QL80_.jpeg 648w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/11\/81FIfMmYJ3L._AC_UF8941000_QL80_-194x300.jpeg 194w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px\" \/><figcaption>Pictured: Cover of <em>Severance <\/em>by Ling Ma, published by Picador. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Ma humanises the reality of those who are continually \u2018othered\u2019, centring fiction as a means of breeding empathy. Fiction, alike Ma\u2019s, explores the pathology of different identities and existences. Within \u2018The Doom and Glory\u2019, James Baldwin writes, <strong>\u201cIt was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive\u201d<\/strong> (n.p). By depicting the experience of the daughter of 1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;generation immigrants, Ma humanises the experience. Fiction refutes the weaponizing of migrants\u2019 identities. Whilst individuals are forged as a mass,&nbsp;<em>Severance<\/em>&nbsp;recognises the individuality of experience. Yet, Ma encourages the fostering of a unifying empathetic connection, through the recognition of multiplicity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, Ma dispels the capitalist-led and bred notion of individualism, and instead favours a more empathetic, collective, and restorative stance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Word Count: 999<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bibliography <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Primary Resources <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ma, Ling. <em>Severance<\/em>. 2018. Text Publishing. 2020. Print. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Secondary Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Baldwin, James. \u2018The Doom and glory of Knowing Who You Are\u2019.&nbsp;<em>Life Magazine<\/em>, May 24, 1963.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fan, Jiayang. \u201cLing Ma\u2019s \u201cSeverance\u201d Captures the Bleak, Fatalistic Mood of 2018.\u201d&nbsp;<em>The New Yorker<\/em>,&nbsp;10 Dec. 2018,&nbsp;www.newyorker.com\/books\/under-review\/ling-ma-severance-captures-the-bleak-fatalistic-mood-of-2018. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fisher, Mark.&nbsp;<em>Capitalism Realism: Is There No Alternative?<\/em>&nbsp;2009. Zaro Books. pp.15. Print.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Monbiot, George.&nbsp;<em>How Did We Get Into This Mess? Politics, Equality, Nature<\/em>. New Left Books, 2016. Print.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Powell, John A. \u201cUs vs Them: The Sinister Techniques of \u201cOthering\u201d \u2013 and How to Avoid Them.\u201d&nbsp;<em>The&nbsp;Guardian<\/em>, The Guardian, 30 Nov. 2017,&nbsp;www.theguardian.com\/inequality\/2017\/nov\/08\/us-vs-them-the-sinister-techniques-of-othering-and-how-to-avoid-them. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;One zombie can be easily killed, but a hundred zombies is another issue [&#8230;] This narrative, then, is not about any individual entity, per se, but about an abstract force: the force of the mob, of mob mentality&#8221;. ma, 29 Ideas of survival and the collective are foregrounded; both are central to Ma\u2019s post-apocalyptic novel&nbsp;Severance(2018). &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/2023\/11\/21\/ling-mas-severance-the-construction-of-identity-the-value-of-fiction%ef%bf%bc\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Ling Ma&#8217;s &#8216;Severance&#8217;: The Construction of Identity &amp; The Value of Fiction\ufffc<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1449,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p58scM-sz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1449"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1771"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1912,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771\/revisions\/1912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/americanists\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}